el_freddo

Reversed fuel lines is a good suggestion. Quick way to check is to disconnect the fuel hose from the filter in the engine bay, put a container under each hose and prime the fuel lines. Which ever container has fuel in it is the direction the fuel is flowing from. It should be coming from the filter Cheers Bennie

Go the L’s! The cheap ones are the best and end up costing a lot more for all the right reasons! My $500 L series (back in 2004) is still kicking but not much in her is original! And she’s been all over the place in my part of the world. Got any other plans for your L? Cheers Bennie

I once did an MPFI conversion on my L series before I found forums and saw the light in the EJ conversion world. Mine would surge sometimes when accelerating, other times it would pull like an EA82 freight train. Didn’t matter about the load or throttle position, sometimes it happened, sometimes it didn’t. I recall that if I took my foot off the throttle and back on when this was happening it would clear up. I never found out what the issue was but I suspect it had something to do with the smaller carb fuel return line that my conversion inherited (this was swapped out when I did the EJ conversion). It could be worth removing the fuel cap and blowing compressed air back to the tank through the fuel return line to remove any restrictions in the system. The other thought is that it’s some solenoid that’s sticking - probably one to do with the fuel tank ventilation system, definitely in the emissions control stuff! Shame you cancelled the inspection, I was hoping it would be there to pass and live on, even if it limped over hills for now... Cheers Bennie

And they’re better than a carb, even though it’s a “Stone Age” EFI system... Cheers Bennie

No. Only when changing gears if the clutch isn’t used properly. Thus a low mileage gearbox could have a crunchy gear or two if it lived in a city driven vehicle - lots of gear changes for that amount of distance. A country driven gearbox with high kms could have very good synchros due to few gear changes for the distance driven - many kms at cruise speed in top gear. At the end of the day it all comes down to the driver and it can be a gamble. Certainly the choice of oil, it’s condition/age (what’s already in there) have an impact on what the gearbox feels like to change gears. Cheers Bennie

Fair call. Use whatever you can fit. Easiest to fit is a replacement unit with two inlets and one outlet. Probably harder to find. Hardest to fit is the much more widely used single in/out port units. You need to modify the Y pipe to make it a 2 into 1 then fit the cat converter. Probably easier to have a shop make new extractor pipes to replace the stock Y pipe. Cheers Bennie

Geez that second pic of the pulley is pretty full on! I hope you find one, I’m sure someone will have one of you can’t find it on a parts site. It might come with a whole engine... Cheers Bennie

Subaru’s have cone shaped synchros Cheers Bennie

Well I just learned something! Doesn’t the ECU supply power or at least read the resistance voltage from the O2 sensor? Cheers Bennie

There’s a big difference between knowledge and opinion - this threads seeks opinion, which could be included as peer pressure/fitting in with a group or scene, which comes with its own underlying fears (or anxieties - pick your label). Fear/worry... you asked about removing something you know or at the very least suspect is something required by law. So yes, fear had you ask the question whether you knew it or not. If it was a question only about which catalytic converters is best to replace an old dead one and how to go about it, that’s one for knowledge and know how. Cheers Bennie

You can’t see the friction surfaces without disassembling the shafts and gearsets. Not an easy task I reckon (I’ve not done this). With synchros you’re looking for some roughage on the friction surfaces. They stop working when they’re smooth and don’t create friction to slow or speed up the gear that the driver is trying to select. That’s when the crunch happens same as when changing gear without the clutch and you don’t rev match properly. You could pull the synchros and have them lightly bead blasted - I’ve heard this is a good method to bring them back to life. But the effort (or f’-it) to get the synchros out usually isn’t worth it. Cheers Bennie

Agreed. I wouldn’t be caught without one over here. Minimum fine is $10,000. If you’re really pressed and just need a cat converter to say you have one you can put a unit from a larger displacement engine on the little Subaru engine. Flow through should be better and generally the cost lower due to the higher volume of these units sold when from a popular vehicle. Cheers Bennie

Yes that is a reverse lockout device so you can’t slip into reverse when shifting down from 5th. To properly look at synchros you need to pull them out as the real action happens on the friction cones. What you’re looking at is just the tabs that align for the gear selector ring to slip over and lock the gear in for use. Cheers Bennie

You’ll need to give it a power source to do that. You seem to enjoy odd things going by this... Cheers Bennie

Less plastics and metal material used to produce the car compared to those of today’s vehicles. Even if the factories were more polluting you’re using less resources to make the car in the first place. They’re also much easier to recycle at end of life than a modern vehicle (don’t even look at EVs for the recycling aspect yet!). My EA81 brumby pulls great fuel mileage for a vehicle of its age. I put a bit of this down to good roads that can maintain cruise speeds for longer with generally less gradients to climb. My 2c on that anyway. Cheers Bennie

SPFI or carby fed EA82? Carby has a little vacuum diaphragm that pulls on the throttle to increase revs. I’m not familiar enough with SPFI to tell you what does the idle up. MPFI uses a little solenoid on the side of the throttle body, but I think this only applies for the turbo EA82 and NA XT4 models in the USDM. We got the NA MPFI as an option in our touring wagons. Cheers Bennie

I’d be more worried about the rod knock... Seems this vehicle needs a fair bit of work on top of what you’ve already dropped into it. Are Subarus money pits? No, not usually for “normal use”. If you’re into modifying and going faster they certainly can be. This one will obviously need a new engine at some point in time, so factor in that cost. If you want to keep this vehicle it could be a good time to learn how to DIY the work needed to be done. Cheers Bennie

Yep, they go on those two bolts that hold the fuel rails on the intake. Cheers Bennie

Could just be the age of the fuel pump not being up to the job. If you can, I’d be looking into getting a new pump. Cheers Bennie

I hope things keep looking up for your sweet ride mate! Cheers Bennie

So no issue with the low oil level? Winning! Love the targa tops! I’m hoping mine will look as good as yours one day! Cheers Bennie

Are these still available? Cheers Bennie

Or is it: ?? Fixed either way! You’re welcome

Yeah mate, I’m at 530,000km from memory. Y pipe rusted out so dad shoved a Gen3 equal length unit on and she sounds like spoob so I’m failing at building a set of UELs for her. Exhaust shops make it look easy! And I have a leak in the front somewhere, dunno if it’s doors or Subi gods forbid, from the windscreen ;( Long live the L’s! Cheers Bennie

Good move mate! Move always wanted a car in a “burnt orange” colour. Originally it was my LC torana but that never eventuated. I’m wanting to keep my brumby relatively original enough, so it’ll stay red (I’m thinking the new XV red would look sweet!). Get into that rust and go from there! Cheers Bennie